different between persuasion vs conjecture

English

Alternative forms

• perswasion (obsolete)

Etymology

From French persuasion and its source, Latin persu?si?, from persu?d?re, from su?d?re (“to advise, recommend”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /p??swe??(?)n/
• (US) IPA^(key): /p??swe???n/

Noun

persuasion (countable and uncountable, plural persuasions)

1. The act of persuading, or trying to do so; the addressing of arguments to someone with the intention of changing their mind or convincing them of a certain point of view, course of action etc. [from 14th c.]
   • 2006, Rachel Morris, "Borderline Catastrophe", Washington Monthly, vol. 38:10:

     With the base unleashed, the White House was unable to broker a compromise, either by persuasion or by pressure.

2. An argument or other statement intended to influence one's opinions or beliefs; a way of persuading someone. [from 14th c.]
   • 1928, "The New Pictures", Time, 13 Feb 1928:

     Sadie curses, weeps, then, infected by Mr. Hamilton's writhing persuasions, prays and becomes penitent.

3. A strongly held conviction, opinion or belief. [from 16th c.]

   It is his persuasion that abortion should never be condoned.

   • 2010, "We don't need gay stereotypes", The Guardian, 6 Feb 2010:

     Social understanding and equality can neither be nurtured through fear, nor intimidation. Surely this goes for people of all sexual persuasions.

4. One's ability or power to influence someone's opinions or feelings; persuasiveness. [from 16th c.]
5. A specified religious adherence, a creed; any school of thought or ideology. [from 17th c.]
   • 2009, US Catholic (letter), May 2009:

     As a convert from the Baptist persuasion more than 40 years ago, I still feel like an outsider in the church despite the kindness and acceptance of Catholic friends.

6. (by extension, often humorous) Another personal, animal or inanimate trait that is not (very) liable to be changed by persuasion, such as sex, gender, ethnicity, origin, profession or nature.
   • 1871 February 14, J.J., "More Solution", Latter-Day Saints Millennial Star, page 105.

   • 1919, Pere Marquette Magazine, Vol. 11, page 19.

   • 1967, Taxes. The Tax Magazine, vol. 45, issue 2, page 698.

   • 1984, The Medical Journal of Australia, page 739.

   • 2015, Leslie Kelly, No More Bad Girls, in New Year's Resolution: Romance!: Say Yes\No More Bad Girls\Just a Fling, Harlequin, page 125.

Antonyms

• dissuasion

Derived terms

• persuade
• persuasive
• suasion

Translations

French

Etymology

From Latin persuasio, from persuadere, from suadere (“to advise, recommend”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p??.s?a.zj??/

Noun

persuasion f (plural persuasions)

1. persuasion

Further reading

• “persuasion” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Etymology

From Old French, from Latin coniect?ra (“a guess”), from coniectus, perfect passive participle of c?nici? (“throw or cast together; guess”), from con- (“together”) + iaci? (“throw, hurl”); see jet. Compare adjective, eject, inject, project, reject, subject, object, trajectory.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /k?n?d???k.t???(?)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /k?n?d???k.t???/

Noun

conjecture (countable and uncountable, plural conjectures)

1. (formal) A statement or an idea which is unproven, but is thought to be true; a guess.

   I explained it, but it is pure conjecture whether he understood, or not.

2. (formal) A supposition based upon incomplete evidence; a hypothesis.

   The physicist used his conjecture about subatomic particles to design an experiment.

3. (mathematics, linguistics) A statement likely to be true based on available evidence, but which has not been formally proven.
4. (obsolete) Interpretation of signs and omens.

Synonyms

• halseny
• See also Thesaurus:supposition

Related terms

• conject
• conjectural

Translations

Verb

conjecture (third-person singular simple present conjectures, present participle conjecturing, simple past and past participle conjectured)

1. (formal, intransitive) To guess; to venture an unproven idea.

   I do not know if it is true; I am simply conjecturing here.

2. (transitive) To infer on slight evidence; to guess at.
   • February 22, 1685, Robert South, All Contingences under the Direction of God's Providence (sermon preached at Westminster Abbey)

     Human reason can then, at the best, but conjecture what will be.

Translations

Further reading

• conjecture in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “conjecture”, in Online Etymology Dictionary
• conjecture in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin coniect?ra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k??.??k.ty?/

Noun

conjecture f (plural conjectures)

1. conjecture

Usage notes

Not to be confused with conjoncture.

Verb

conjecture

1. first-person singular present indicative of conjecturer
2. third-person singular present indicative of conjecturer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of conjecturer
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of conjecturer
5. second-person singular imperative of conjecturer

Further reading

• “conjecture” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Latin

Participle

conject?re

1. vocative masculine singular of conject?rus

Portuguese

Verb

conjecture

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of conjecturar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of conjecturar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of conjecturar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of conjecturar